Margery Goldberg

I attribute my success to just doing things without overthinking how difficult they might be. You know, if you knew how hard things were before you started them, you probably wouldn't do it - that's my attitude. Whether it was opening a wood shop, starting an art center with 50,000 square feet of space, opening an art gallery, managing 50 artist studios, or starting a nonprofit, I just dove in. Everything I've ever done, I've sort of done not knowing how difficult it was going to be. I learned business from my dad, who owned a big printing and advertising company in Rochester. He taught me everything about business, advertising, and printing. I had my own checking account at 14 and ran my own finances. I'm also what my friends tell me is the most right-brain, left-brain person they've ever met - I function on both sides of the brain. I have a motto: if I can think it up, I can build it. And I do. Coming up with ideas is not a hard thing to do for me. I've been very active and engaged throughout my life - even in high school I wrote papers on anti-apartheid, and as a freshman at GW I took a Black History course, did a paper on the Black Panthers, went to their headquarters and got to know them. A couple years later when students took the student center over, I helped them get rooms there and was very much a radical on campus. I got my nickname in college where I was called 'the phone Margie' because you could always hear me in a crowd. I'm also very much an environmentalist - I compost, I have no grass on my property (as I always say, the only kind of grass I like is the kind you smoke), I have solar panels, and I use mulch and really exotic leafy plants.

Throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by fellow artists, community leaders, educators, and advocates who have encouraged me to think creatively and stay actively engaged with my community. I also credit the many artists I’ve had the privilege to work with over the years, as they continue to inspire my work, shape my perspective, and expand my vision.

I would encourage young women entering my industry to trust their creativity, remain persistent, and never be afraid to pursue bold ideas. I believe success comes from staying true to your vision, building strong relationships, and using your talents to create meaningful, positive change in your community.

I believe one of the biggest challenges facing the arts community today is ensuring sustainable support and meaningful opportunities for artists. At the same time, I see tremendous opportunities to use art as a tool for education, workforce development, community revitalization, and social connection, especially through innovative programs that bring art directly into communities.

The values most important to me are creativity, environmental responsibility, and helping others succeed. I'm very much an environmentalist - I compost, I have no grass on my property (as I always say, the only kind of grass I like is the kind you smoke), I just had solar put on my house, and I love exotic leafy plants. I believe in taking action and not being afraid to tackle difficult projects. My motto is: if I can think it up, I can build it. I've always been socially conscious too - even in high school I wrote papers on anti-apartheid, and as a freshman at GW I took a Black History course, did a paper on the Black Panthers, and went to their headquarters to get to know them. When students took over the student center a couple years later, I helped them get rooms there and was very much a radical on campus. I got my nickname 'the phone Margie' because you could always hear me in a crowd. I believe in persistence and just doing things, even when you don't know how difficult they'll be. I've spent my career supporting artists, training the next generation through our mobile wood shop, and now I'm working on building a senior artist community because artists are the one group of people who don't retire - everybody else retires, but artists don't.